Yarn-reclaiming device



A. R. BREEN.

YARN RECLAIMING DEVICE APPLICATION FILED Nov: 4. 1921 PatentedAug. 22, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. R. BREEN'.

YARN RECLAIMING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV; 4,1921. 1 42x056 Patented A11. 22, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ALBERT It. BREEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 "UNIVERSAL WINDING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

YABN-BECLAIMING DEVICE.

iae'aosa T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R.-BREEN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Yarn-Reclaiming Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for recovering or reclaiming yarn and thread from knitted, netted or textile articles which have been blemished or spoiled during manufacture or in handling.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means for holding tubular fabric articles, such as stockings, undergarments or the like, to allow the yarn or thread to be freely unraveled therefrom and delivered to a winder or other machine to reclaim it for further use.

Another object of the invention is to provide for unraveling the yarn or thread to deliver it at a high rate of speed without snarling, straining or breaking the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for holding a plurality of the articles in such relation that the yarn or thread may be unraveled successively from the several pieces to furnish a continuous supply to the winder or other machine.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of a standard type of winding machine showing my improved yarn-reclaiming device as applied to use thereon;

Fig. 2, an enlarged detail view of the device showing the knitted articles held thereon in condition to be unraveled; and

Fig. 3, a similar view with the articleholder shown partly in section to illustrate its construction.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, my improved device is here shown as applied to a winding machine A of well known type, but it is to be understood that it may be used with other types of apparatus and adapted for different methods of operation. The winding machine A herein illustrated comprises in general a frame or head F mounted on a bed or table B which is supported from legs or standards L.

S ecifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13922.

Serial No. 512,856.

Projecting from the side of the head F is the rotating winding-spindle or mandrel S on which the thread or am 1 1s wound into a cone or package 1, represented by dotted-lines. The thread or yarn y leads from its source of supply, generally arranged below, and passing through a tension device T is delivered to the windingspindle S through a thread-guide G which has a reciprocating-motion back and forth along the spindle to traverse the yarn to deposit it in helical coils which form the layers to build up the package P. i ifinding machines of the above type are well known and generally used for preparing threads and yarns for various processes in the textile arts. Usually the yarn is delivered to the winder from skeins, spools, bobbins or other similar supplies, and in the improved type of machine here shown the windingspindle is driven at high speed and the yarn wound thereon at a rapid rate to make for economical production. In my present invention the object, as before stated, is to provide means for delivering yarn or thread from a knitted, netted or textile fabric to supply it to the winder or other apparatus at a high rate of speed. In manufacturing hosiery, underwear and like articles of apparel a certain proportion of the goods are blemished or spoiled, either by improper functioning of the knitting or other machine, or by irregularities in the yarn supply, and such goods having faults are cast out and must be sold as seconds or in some cases thrown away. Heretofore it has been well nigh impracticable to reclaim the yarn or thread from defective goods because of the time required for raveling out the fabric and the difliculty encountered in reconverting the material into usable shape. Raveling the fabric by hand is a'slow and tedious process, usually entailing greater eX- pense than the worth of the yarn, and in the absence of a more economical method of reclaiming the yarn it has heretofore been impossible to obviate the waste and loss from imperfections in the product. This loss has been very considerable where the goods being manufactured were of the better grades, such as silk hosiery and underwear, and my present invention, inproviding a practical method of reclaiming the yarn, is of great benefit and value to the trade.

My improved device comprises in general a support or holder adapted to receive a )luralit" of stockin s or other articles of tubular fabric and having means for loosely holding the articles in more or less extended form to permit the unraveling of the yarn progressively from end to end of the fabric. As illustrated in the drawings, the present .fastenedto a rodx7. The. rod "7 may be held in arms or brackets 8 fastened to the standards or; legs L of the winding maclnne fr, as shown in Fig. 1, this construction being the usual arrangement as commonly employed for holding the supplies for the winding machine. The vertical spindle 4; may be the usual cop-spindle for supporting the cops or bobbins which deliver their yarn to. the winding-spindle S, and in the presentinstance the article-holder 2 is bored axially at .9- to receive the spindle t,.where "by to' locate the holder centrally on its base or shelf 3.

The holder 2 while: herein shown as be ing constructed in cylindrical form may be ofv aapolygonal shape in cross-section or it might be made hollow, or ribbed in skeleton Construction; such modifications in the'form of; the device obviously falling within the spirit and. scope of the present'invention.

At one end of the holder, in the present instance at the top, since the holder is used inzvertica-l position, is an. annular enlargement or head 10 which serves as a guard or abutment to prevent the tubular stocking or other article from being pulled off from the holder, andv also functions for another purpose in easing the yarn free of the stitches as it. unravels from the-mesh of the fabric. The enlargement or head 10 .may be constructed integral with. the body of the standard or holder 2 or, if preferred, it may be made as a separate part applied thereto. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the head 10 is formed with a convex check or rim 11 extending downwardly from the top of'the holder and merging into the contour of its body at 12.

Having now described. the construction and arrangement of the complete device, its method of operation will next be explained: A number of the tubular fabric articles X are placed on the standard or holder 2 by slipping them over its head 10, the body of the holder being proportioned to receive a stocking or the like in a somewhat loose manner Without stretching the fabric. In some cases a dozenor more stockings may be placed on the holder and loosely bunched around its base resting on the shelf 3, see Fig. 2. In reclaiming the yarn from completed stockings the feet are unraveled or cutaway from the legs before placing them 011 the holder; although in some instances the reclaiming process may take place'before the feet are formed on the stockings when the defect. or fault. is discovered. in

time.

After the articles have been applied to the holder inv the manner above described the loose end of the yarn or thread y'is: un-

raveled from the end of the uppermostistocking and drawn upwardly tothe. tension-device T ofthe winder A, as shown in Fig. 1.

at a rapid linear speed it must be unraveled freely from the stocking or other articles without check or hindrance from snarls or tangles. My improved device operates to support the stocking or other article and to assist in the unraveling of the yarn from the same in the manner as next explained.

As the yarn y unravels from'the upper end of the uppermost stocking X. it has a tendency to draw the latter off from the holder 2, but this is prevented by the enlarged head 10 of the holder which holds the stocking in place. As the stockingX rides up against the head 10 its upper edge is dis tended or forced outwardly by the bulging check 11 and the stitches or picks inthe fabric are thus opened up to free the yarn and assist in its delivery so that it is yielded fromithe mesh of. the fabric without tendency to become snarled or tangled. It will be observed from Fig. 2 that the tubular fabric or stocking X does not ride clear up over the head or enlargement 10 but is restrained by the abrupt convex shoulder 11 on its lower portion. This leaves .a portion of the head 10 projecting above the fabric and as the thread or yarn y unravels from the mesh it rides around the upper rim of the-head and is thereby directed outwardly so as to further assist in freeing it from the stitches. In this way the yarn is kept taut and guided in such a manner as to prevent it from becoming snarled or tangled withv loose threads in the fabric. In effect, the head 10 acts. as a spreader or expander for the fabric in much the same way as the human hands are used in the manual operation of raveling out a knitted article; it being a common practice to spread or stretch the knitted article on the fingers of the hand to assist in releasing the yarn in unraveling it from the edge of the fabric.

After one stocking has been completely raveled out and its yarn delivered to the winder the leading end of the yarn in the next stocking is spliced to the end on the package and the operation repeated; or, if desired, the several articles may be arranged on the holder with the last end of the yarn in one stocking connected to the leading end in the next stocking in the series so that the yarn will deliver continuously from all of the pieces without stopping the machine.

It will be seen that my improved device functions in a peculiar and novel manner to assist in the unraveling of the yarn from the article held on the holder so that it may he delivered therefrom at a rapid rate without undue hindrance and without breaksliable to be caused by tangles or snarls. Through the use of my improved device the yarn or thread may be reclaimed from defective stockings or other similar articles and put up in packages to be used over again in the knitting machine or other apparatus. By thus recovering the yarn for further use the loss from defective pieces is very materially reduced and a consider able economy effected in the cost of production of the goods.

It is believed that the present invention provides the first practical device for delivering yarn or thread from tubular fabric articles such as knit goods, and therefore I desire to claim the same broadly without limitation as to the exact form or structure of the embodiment shown and described herein.

I claim:

1. A device for unraveling yarn or thread from articles of fabric consisting in a holder for receiving the articles in loose arrangement thereon, said holder provided with means for distending the fabric along its edge to open its mesh whereby to assist in freeing the yarn therefrom during the unraveling process.

2. A device for unraveling yarn or thread from articles of fabric consisting in a holder having a body adapted to receive a plurality of the articles in loose arrangement thereon and provided with an enlarged head adapted to prevent the articles from drawing off from the holder while also acting to distend the fabric to assist in unraveling the yarn from its edge.

3. A device of the type specified consisting in a holder for articles of fabric having an elongated body adapted to receive a plurality of the articles in loose arrangement ric, the combination of a shelf-like base, and

a vertical standard supported on the base and provided with an outwardly flaring head at its upper end.

6. In a holder for tubular articles of fabric, the combination with a vertical spindle, of a shelf mounted on said spindle, and a cylindrical column supported on the spindle above the shelf and provided with an enlarged head at its upper end.

7. A. holder for tubular articles of fabric consisting in a cylindrical column having an elongated body surmounted by an enlarged head formed with a convex shoulder overhanging the sides of the body and merging into the contour thereof.

8. The combination with a winding machine having means for winding yarn or thread, of means for unraveling the yarn or thread from a fabric article to deliver it to the winding-means, said unraveling-means comprising a holder for the article provided with means for distending the fabric at its edge to open its mesh to release the stitches during the unraveling process.

9. The combination with a winding ma chine having means for winding a yarn or thread and means for applying tension thereto during the winding operation, of a holder for fabric articles, said holder arranged in line with the tension-device and provided with means for distending the fabric at its edge to open its mesh to assist in releasing the yarn therefrom.

10. The combination with a winding machine having means for winding a yarn or thread, of an article-holder supported on the machine in operative relation to the winding-means, said holder having a body for receiving a plurality of tubular fabric articles in loose arrangement thereon, and means on the holder for distending the fabric at a point adjacent its edge to assist in unraveling the yarn or thread therefrom to deliver it to the winding-means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT R. BREEN. 

